Icons can be displayed in a graphical user interface (GUI) at different resolution settings. The resolution level of a display is expressed as a matrix or array of pixels where standard resolution settings include 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1152×870, 1600×1200, etc. For example, the resolution of 1024×768 indicates a pixel array of 1024 columns and 768 rows of pixels.
Typically, when a user changes between resolutions, the placement of icons in the GUI from the initial resolution to the changed resolution is not intuitive so that icons in the changed resolution do not appear where the user expects. An example of the typical placement of icons between an initial resolution to a changed resolution is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a first icon layout 105 is shown in a first resolution of a display, the first layout 105 having icons “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” E,” and “F” 110 and 115. After the user changes the resolution setting of the display from the first resolution to a second resolution, a second icon layout 140 is shown in the second resolution, the second layout 140 also having icons “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” E,” and “F” 110 and 115 of the first layout 105.
Note that in the example of FIG. 1, the resolution has been changed from a higher resolution (first resolution) to a lower resolution (second resolution) so that the first layout 105 is larger than the second layout 140 (i.e., the first layout is a pixel array with more columns and rows of pixels than the second layout). A boundary 120 of the second layout or resolution in comparison to the first layout or resolution is indicated by a dashed boundary line in the first layout 105.
Inside icons 110 within the boundary 120 (such as icons “A,” “B,” “C,” and “F”) can be easily mapped from the first layout to the second layout, for example, using a one-to-one mapping function that places the icons in the same position in the second layout. Typically, however, outside icons 115 (such as icons “E” and “D”) outside the boundary 120 are placed in the first available space in the second layout which causes such outside icons 115 to be placed in a position that is not intuitive to the user. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, outside icon “D” is positioned in the lower right corner of the first layout but is placed in the upper right corner (the first available position) of the second layout.
After the user changes the resolution setting of the display back to the first resolution, a third icon layout 150 is shown in the first resolution. As the resolution has been changed from a lower resolution (second resolution) to a higher resolution (first resolution), the third layout 150 is larger than the second layout 140. As such, all icons 110 and 115 of the second layout 140 can be mapped from the second layout to the third layout using a one-to-one mapping function. Note, however, that when the user returns to the first resolution, the third layout does not contain icons in the same position as they were in the first layout at the same first resolution. For example, the outside icons “E” and “D” are in different positions in the first and third layouts even though both layouts are in the same resolution.
As such, there is a need for a method of displaying icons layouts in different resolutions where the placement of the icons between different layouts in different resolutions is more intuitive.